Cycling Tours in Cambodia - Temples, Sea & Provincial Life Cycle Tour

Temples, Sea & Provincial Life Cycle Tour

(03 days/ 02 nights - Tour code: Cam-C032)

• Fun Cycling • Discover the REAL Cambodia • Beautiful Scenery •
• Angkorian Temples • Delightful traditional villages • Smiling Cambodians •
• Hidden Cave Pagoda • Laidback Coastal Kep • Charming Colonial Kampot •

Cycle Cambodia This Temples, Sea & Provincial Life 3 day Cycle Tour is fully supported and fully guided (however you can choose not to have a support vehicle**). After leaving Phnom Penh you will have time to contemplate the barbaric Khmer Rouge regime as you visit the ‘Killing Fields’. After this you will cycle to the picturesque Angkorian temples of Tonle Bati on the way south to the provincial town of Takeo. The following morning you continue pedalling south through delightful scenery to the once abandoned, laidback coastal resort of Kep. On your final day you will explore the charming colonial town of Kampot. A real taste of the variety of experiences Cambodia has to offer!

Below please find the detailed itinerary...

DAY 1: Cycle the 'Killing Fields', Tonle Bati Temple and sleepy Takeo (85km) (L)
Cycle Cambodia Your guide, cycle guide and support vehicle will meet you at your hotel at 07:00 and your bike will be adjusted to ensure a comfortable fit. Once you are ready your cycle guide will lead you through the early morning hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh streets as you ride the 15km to Cheoung Ek, more commonly known as the 'Killing Fields' (if you do not feel comfortable cycling in Phnom Penh you can ride in the support vehicle to the outskirts of the city). The ‘Killing Fields’ are where Toul Sleng prisoners were forcibly marched and then executed; it is now a memorial site located in a beautiful tranquil setting (a visit to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum on the way to the ‘Killing Fields’ is an option). After some contemplation you continue pedalling south through small traditional villages. After a short combination of almost traffic free dirt roads and some lightly trafficked tarmac roads you will arrive at Tonle Bati, a riverside location where we will have time to explore the small, yet picturesque Angkorian temples of Ta Prohm and Yeay Peau. This is a very pleasant spot for enjoying your picnic lunch. It is thought that via a network of waterways Ta Prohm was an important trading port linking the Angkor temples of Siem Reap in the north to the southern Angkorian / Funan sea ports in what is now Vietnam. Cycle Cambodia Fertility was, and still is, the temple’s main focus, and a statue of the Hindu fertility goddess Preah Noreay is still popular with childless women who come to offer gifts to her headless torso. After lunch you continue South towards sleepy Takeo. Upon arrival you will check-in to your guesthouse and then you will have time to explore this very small provincial capital made up of many local government department buildings. However, around the market area there are some old colonial villas in differing states, and the waterfront promenade makes for a pleasant late afternoon sunset stroll.

DAY 2: Rice Paddies, Villages, Caves and relaxing Kep (100km) (B/L)
Cycling holidays in Cambodia

After breakfast this morning you have the opportunity to visit a local orphanage managed by ‘Khmer Help Khmer’. Here you will learn more about the great educational work they are doing in the surrounding poor villages, and how Asia Adventures is working together with them through its 'Pedal2Empower' bicycle donation project. As you leave Takeo you continue south spinning along Highway 3 and then joining Highway 31 leaving the flat plains of rice fields as we reach for the coastal mountains – fortunately the road passes between the hills and not over them! Today you cycle through some pleasant limestone karst scenery, picturesque villages including some ethnic Cham settlements, and endless rice fields. On route you will visit the friendly town of Kompong Trach, depending on your energy levels and time you may wish to turn off the main road and head north along a bumpy dirt road for about 5km to Wat Krirsehla. As you arrive you will see what looks like a cave, however the local children armed with burning torches will excitedly guide you into it, and you soon discover it is a tunnel that opens Cycling holidays in Cambodia

out into a circular hidden natural cavity surrounded by towering craggy cliffs with the sunlight streaming down. There are various Buddhist icons in the cliffs surrounding caves including a large reclining Buddha. Back on the main road you will soon see the headland of Kep. Kep was a popular seaside resort with Cambodia’s elite in the 1940s-60s, but it was abandoned during the Khmer Rouge period. However, today it is experiencing a revival with many of the empty, decaying villas being restored into delightful hotels and guesthouses. After checking-in to your accommodation you are free to laze around in a beachside hammock listening to the soft sounds from the ocean. Kep is famous for its seafood and for dinner you may choose to taste this at the beachside restaurants.

DAY 3: Cycle Colonial Kampot (25km) (B/L)
Cycling holidays in Cambodia

After a relaxing morning you will cycle the 25km to Kampot for lunch. Many people believe Kampot is the most picturesque province in Cambodia and you will pedal through some beautiful countryside. Kampot has an undeniable charm and is the favourite town of many Cambodian expats who visit at weekends for a taste of provincial Cambodia. It’s a sleepy, quaint place with a relaxed ambience and friendly locals, the streets are quiet and there is a lot of French colonial and Chinese influenced architecture still surviving, and if all that wasn’t enough there is a wonderful riverfront will a small collection of cafes. After lunch you are free to cycle around and explore this charming town for a couple of hours before being transferred back to Phnom Penh. On arrival back in Phnom Penh you will be returned to your hotel having had a great few days cycling!

*The cost for the above tour is $240 (US dollars) per person based on 4 people cycling and sharing 2 rooms
**If you do not require a support vehicle the price per person is $140 (US Dollars) based upon 4 people sharing 2 rooms. However, with no support vehicle water, face towels, snacks, and picnic lunch are not provided, & only a cycle guide will accompany you.

INCLUSIONS	EXCLUSIONS
Air conditioned support vehicle Accommodation (aircon) English speaking local guide English speaking local cycle guide / mechanic All entrance fees for attractions included in the above itinerary Mountain Bike Daily drinking water, cool face towels & snacks whilst cycling All meals as detailed in the above itinerary (B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner)	Services not detailed in the above itinerary Drinks with included meals Expenditure of a personal nature Travel insurance Any payment / money transfer charges